When people find themselves in a lot of credit card debt, they tend to think it’s best to financially prioritize those debts and pay them off as quickly as possible. Credit card customers will put all of their extra income toward their balances in the hopes that, with enough hard work, they can climb out of their financial hole in the next few months.

Whether you’re supporting a family while working a full-time job or simply spending a bit too much on nights out, waiting for the next paycheck to roll around just to pay the bills is never a great position to be in. And while it might feel like a burden, living paycheck-to-paycheck doesn’t have to mean much in regard to your overall financial outlook.

If you don’t have citizenship, permanent residence, or a worker’s visa in the US, then you’ve probably found yourself in a difficult position when asked to present a Social Security number. Not having a Social Security number can be a major obstacle when applying for jobs, loans and credit cards, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a dealbreaker for your finances.

So if you didn’t pay the IRS enough money over the course of 2018 — either because you underestimated your income or you failed to pay altogether — there’s a good chance you owe taxes and late fees.

When it comes to taxes, freelancers have to fend for themselves–with no W-2 to tell you how much you made in a given year and no employer to automatically deduct from your income, you have to pay very careful attention to how much you owe the IRS and when to pay it. Here are our best tips for freelancers.

There’s so much advice out there about figuring out how to pay off your debts, but two specific methods are endorsed by financial experts: the debt snowball and the debt avalanche. Which debt you focus on, though, depends on whether you’d prefer to gain a sense of satisfaction in the immediate future (the debt snowball) or save money over the long-term (the debt avalanche). Here’s our explanation of both payment methods.

In the world of the gig economy, it’s becoming easier with each passing day to find flexible, well-paying side hustles that come with no strings attached. Whether you’re a college student who’s looking to pay for the occasional meal out or a full-time worker who’s hoping to save up money for vacation, there’s probably a side hustle out there that matches your needs and abilities.

Banks are such an essential part of modern financial life, and yet, somehow, their basic functions remain a mystery to almost everyone. Here are some quick, interesting facts to give you a clearer understanding of how banks work.

A loan payoff letter is a document you can acquire at any stage of a loan, whether you’ve yet to make your first payment or just finished making your last. It includes all of the information you need related to how much you owe to your lender and the options you have for paying off your debt. There are payoff letters for practically every kind of loan — mortgages, student loans and auto loans, to name a few — and there are several reasons you might need one.

Scams and rip-offs are everywhere, and with the hustle and bustle of modern life, it’s hard not to fall victim to at least one of them. So we’ve put together a list of ways to save money, even though companies are trying their best to rip us off. You’re entitled to the best deal available. Here’s how to get it!